


Bleed Magic Out

by rishfish



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Character Death, M/M, Magic Users, Updates every other day or so, Witches, banana fish au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-08-29 18:52:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16749670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rishfish/pseuds/rishfish
Summary: Magic users have been eradicated for as long as Eiji can remember. But his perceptions of those cursed with the gift of magic change when he falls head first into an underworld saturated with magic and he learns they aren't as extinct as the dystopian governing body wants the public to believe. Furthermore, thanks to a wily descendant of a powerful pyrokinetic, Ash, he's now wrapped up in a plot to unearth the governments dastardly plans to weaponize the remaining magic users. Will Eiji be able to use the secrets he learns about himself to his and his new gang's benefit? Or will let the resistances' most powerful weapon fall into the wrong hands?





	1. Take You Home

_“You see this, Eiji?” A meek sounding woman sitting at a low table chimed. Her voice was soft and hesitant and she vaguely held the aroma of flowers. She outstretched her open palm to a child. A raven-haired child, that very much shared her likeness despite rising just above knee height, toddled over. She was holding out her hands, but her palms were bare. Nothing was there. Her smile was slight but refined as she continued talking._

_“It’s magic.” The child stared at her in awe. But there was nothing there. Her hands were empty. “It’s very precious. And strong. Just like you.” The woman folded her hands together, closing them without interlacing her fingers and she smoothed her dominant hand over the other. The child lost his trancelike state and blinked. He looked up at the woman who delicately booped his nose and then reached out to pick him up under the arms and sit him on her lap._

_“Now it’s your turn to try. Do you want to?” She asked in her almost musical voice. The child nodded eagerly and held out his hands. “Now focus-“ Which the child did. His eyes narrowed and his palms tensed. Nothing seemed to be happening. There was nothing there but suddenly the lights in the room flickered and the woman suddenly seemed alarmed. She reached out to take young Eiji’s hands and clasped one over the other and smoothed it out- but when she did everything shook and she cried out-_

 

“EIJI!” 

Eiji jolted awake, deep brown eyes shooting wide open. It’d been a while since he’d had that dream. That strange woman and her empty hands. And a child that could be himself. He looked around to get a better grip on his reality and quickly came nose to nose with a mildly perturbed Ibe. Ibe Shunichi had been his guardian growing up, but now that Eiji was an adult, they became traveling partners of sorts. They often found themselves hopping from place to place, usually around the outskirts of the towns right on the edge of The Orchard. 

“Yeah?” Eiji asked, covering his mouth as he yawned. He tried blinking hard the sleep out of his eyes.

“We’re holding up the bus driver and don’t have much time to spare. Come along,” and with a pat on his shoulder the older made his move to get off the bus. Eiji gathered himself and pulled his navy coat back up from where it had slipped during the drive. He basically scrambled out as he dragged his bag from his seat and out the door. The air outside was frigid but heavy with smog and thick with steam.

“Where are we going? Are we walking?” Eiji asked his traveling partner. Ibe was looking at his flip phone. He turned to glance at Eiji and nodded but then paused and said,

“Oh no- We’re just uh, getting a ride.” 

“Oh? Like a taxi?” He knew the bigger cities in the Orchard had taxis. And they were in the heart of the Orchard. But to his shock Ibe shook his head. Eiji moved over to glance over Ibe’s shoulder at his phone. 

Ibe flipped his phone shut and shook his head again. “No. We’re meeting a contact who’s going to take us to where I need to be. It’s just a pick up this time. Too fragile to send.” 

“Oh,” Eiji said softly. He felt like there was more to it than that but decided to try to not think too hard about it. He was in the process of deciding this when a heavy arm looped around the outward facing shoulder, as the same happened to Ibe. Both men jumped as an equally heavy hand slipped over their mouths. 

“Move forward and don’t look back. I’m your escort-“ said a coarse masculine voice. The voice didn’t sound very menacing or even intimidating but the both of them did what it said as the hands released them.

“Which one of you is Iz?” The newcomer asked. Eiji felt his heart racing and his head spinning in confusion at what was going on. Who was Iz? He about opened his mouth to speak when Ibe spoke up instead, shocking him further.

“I am.”  
“And who did you bring with you?” The mystery man questioned further. 

“His name is Eiji. The uh… Eyeless.” 

“Wha- I have ey-,” Eiji started to say before he was caught off by the unknown third member of their walking formation. 

“You brought him? Why? You know you needed to come alone. Aslan won’t like this…” The man asked calmly, although strained.

“I did because I made a promise to not leave him unguarded. Your lot knew this before I sent word I was coming.” Ibe’s voice was shaky. It was clear he wasn’t very comfortable- maybe even anxious about the situation. The man behind them only sighed and directed them down an alleyway. 

“Sorry, but what’s going on-?”

“He doesn’t know anything?” The question came immediately.

“No-“ Ibe answered quickly.

“Know what?” 

“It’s safer if you don’t.” Ibe replied to Eiji who was still very confused. 

At the end of the alley way was a car with tinted windows and a pizza delivery sign atop it. Their guide stopped them and provided a blindfold for Ibe, who he took care of first. While the man was securing the blindfold, Eiji couldn’t help himself and instinctively glanced back at their escort, to which he was quickly redirected and turned around. He couldn’t gather much but from what he did gather, he could tell that the man looked slightly older with short honey colored hair. He had a bigger stature.

“I only have one blindfold so it’s either your sock or mine,” he said, tauntingly. Eiji quickly supplied one of his own socks. A fresh one from his overnight bag, thankfully. It was around his head in a matter of seconds. The man behind him held the back in place using a safety pin he likely had on hand. He felt the same large hand on his back scoot him forward and when it left again, he assumed Ibe was being guided to the inside of the car that was waiting. He must’ve been correct in assuming as such because then a head appeared on the top of his head and he was guided down to the compact cars level and helped very carefully inside.

The car smelt mostly new but also slightly of smoke and it rode fairly smoothly. It surprisingly lacked in any of the aromas that one might smell from a pizza. Beyond that, however, Eiji found himself unable to track the direction and movements of the car. It was too disorienting to keep track of. So he tried to relax the best he could in the uncomfortable silence. Eventually he grew tired of keeping quiet and asked, 

“Do people usually smoke in here?” 

“Not that I know of. Why?” Came the voice of the man from before in the front seat. 

“No reason,” Eiji trailed off. He leaned his head back and asked, “Where are we going?” There was a long pause before the man replied.

“If you were supposed to know that, you wouldn’t be blindfolded, now would ya?”

Eiji supposed that made sense. He was going to ask another question when he felt Ibe pat him on the arm. He took that as a notion to stay quiet. Not another word was spoken between him or Ibe the rest of the ride. The man in the front took an unrelated call that sounded like maybe it was to a family member at first. Maybe a spouse. There was definitely a child on the other line at some point. Eiji could tell by the tone of his voice and how he spoke fondly to it. If anything, Eiji took comfort that who ever had “captured” them was at least somewhat morally decent. 

The ride in total took maybe a maximum of an eternal forty-five minutes. Upon arrival, the pair was brought outside the car. The man who had transported them assured them he’d take care of the bags and lead the two to a building that Eiji could guess was a house. It too smelt of smoke, both on the outside and when the man jingled the keys that opened the door up to the inside. 

“Hm, Eiji, was it? We’re taking you upstairs immediately. We have things to discuss with your traveling companion. You may take off the blind fold once you are in the bedroom. Read, take a nap, but stay upstairs and don’t roam or make any calls. In fact- turn your phone off if you have it.” Eiji was a tad overwhelmed with all the instructions but did the best to take in what he was told as he was escorted around a corner and up the stairs. When the door was shut behind him, he pulled his blindfold off very quickly and gazed around. He slipped off his shoes and left them by the door before venturing forward into the room in shadow.

The room he was in was very plain aside from a grimy brick chimney that ran through the center. There was a bed with white sheets, a red blanket, an antique looking nightstand on the side. There was a singular window that appeared to have bars over it, which peeked through thick curtains. He went to the nightstand which had a light on it and turned the lantern-esque fixture up to increase visibility. He sat on the bed, which was fairly stiff which didn’t bother him. It did squeak though when he sat down. He glanced around the room again. There was a wardrobe at the far end of it.

Since he didn’t think sleep was possible at this time, he got back up and ventured over. Curiously, he reached for the handle and pulled it open. Not much was inside. A shelving unit was in place in the bottom half, while the top half was hanging clothes. A few sneakers and boots laid inside, along with some gruff looking folded tees, a few flannels, and several darkly colored jackets. Eiji seemed to realize these were someone’s belongings and that he was likely in someone’s room. He closed the double wooden doors and looked up. A box labeled ‘Wigs’ sat atop the wardrobe. He didn’t bother with that. 

He went to the chimney in the middle of the room and laid a hand on it. It was warm. Smelled of smoke. He was vaguely bored now. But that was ok. He decided maybe he should just lie down. And so he did, but after a minute or two of lying there, he realized he could hear the voices downstairs. Quite clearly, despite a soft echo. He sat up and then glanced to the wooden floor. There was a metal vent. It was surprisingly ornate. He got down on the ground as quietly as he could and then placed his ear near the grate. 

“I am sorry I had no choice-“ Eiji was immediately able to recognize Ibe’s voice. The man who brought them sighed.

“Then it’s imperative you wait until you’re out of the city- no, out of The Orchard entirely- before you let him have it.”

“Right- I won’t even tell him. Not until we’re a safe distance away.” In another moment a door opened and footsteps started in.

“Oh! Asl-Ash. Ash, hey wait-“ The footsteps stopped at the mystery man spoke. 

“Who’s this?” A new voice, strong and stoic spoke. 

“This is Ibe. Or Iz as you’ll recognize him. Ibe, this is Ash. We’ve refer to him as Ascal to you. So- you know. We all have our code names for confidentiality in public or over text,” the man trailed off. 

“Here for the eye?” 

“Yes,” Ibe’s voice came. 

Eiji pressed his ear down harder as the trio moved toward a different spot in the room below and the sound became more muffled. 

“Ash-“ 

“Yes, _Max_?” The voice that must’ve been this Ash character said, efficiently identifying the other man as Max.

“He brought… _him_. He’s upstairs…” More light footsteps and Max added, “He doesn’t know anything though! It’ll be fine and we can still get him out undetected!” He added quickly. Suddenly, Eiji heard the continuing footsteps coming up the stairs at a rapid pace. He scrambled up and sat on the bed, facing the door, trying to look natural. He was able to lean back and relax some by the time the door slammed open.

The man before him was decently tall in comparison to himself, with the blondest hair, and just- the _greenest_ eyes Eiji had ever seen. While Eiji was wide-eyed and accidentally ogling the fair figure, Ash, or at least who he presumed as Ash stood unfazed, with a hard stare. The two met eyes for the briefest of moments.

“I’m getting my jacket.” He explained quickly and without much interest. He went to the wardrobe which had drifted slightly ajar and pulled a black coat out, draping it over his arm. In a spin he was headed back to the door. He said, “Don’t get too comfortable on my bed,” with a wink and then stepped out. Eiji felt himself heat up a little. He felt sort of embarrassed for just being in this other person’s room like this, even if said person treated it like no big deal.

_Click_. Eiji stood and stared at the door, a bead of sweat running down the side of his jaw. Did that guy just lock him in here? He shuffled to the door and tried it out and when it wouldn’t open and was clearly locked from the outside, he hurried back to the vent just in time to hear Ash’s footsteps coming down the last few steps.

“Uh…Ash?” Max’s voice echoed. 

“The vent allows for easy eavesdropping so here’s our plan. Max will take Ibe and the Eye out of the city. Pick it up from Skip tonight. In the morning, I will take…-“ 

“Eiji.”

“Eiji with me to the outskirts in the opposite direction. Once the stone is out of the city, it will be beyond the guides Griffin set to conceal it. That means it’s energy will be detectable. So you have to move quickly to lower the chances of Yut-Lung being able to trace it. Are you both following?” 

Eiji couldn’t hear an audible response, but he himself felt overwhelmed. Who was Skip? It sounded like he’d be meeting him at some point. Griffin? No idea. And Yut-Lung?? It sounded like he should hope to never find out. 

“Good. Eiji’s code name will be Eyo. Not Eyeless. That’s too obvious now and will be exceptionally easy for them to find out.” 

“Excuse me, Ash- But, with all due respect, Eiji and I, well we haven’t been apart since his parents entrusted me as his guardian-“ 

“You’re not a magic user and neither is Max. If you think you’d be able to protect him if they found out he was here… Let me put it this way,” he sighed. “If Yut-Lung gets within a short range distance, where he can clearly see Eiji- it won’t matter if he has the stone with him or not. Yut-Lung will know. The Cavendish will know. And he will stop Eiji from leaving this city alive.” 

Eiji stumbled back and sat, hand over his mouth. His clamoring shut the other three in the house up.

“Sounds like Eiji feels the gravity of it. He’ll understand. Now prepare to leave.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for bearing through this first chapter with me! It's always the roughest at the start, but here's to hoping it was at least somewhat intelligible and entertaining!! Thanks for reading and stay tuned if you like it!! There will be some strong world building coming up! (I also don't have all my tags yet so keep an eye on those!) Title and Chapter Titles inspired by the song "Bleed Magic" by IDKHBTFM (I Don't Know How But They Found Me).


	2. Out on the Town

Max left with Ibe within several hours. Eiji had tried knocking on the door the best he could without being rude. He tried calling out a few times. In one instance the door pushed open toward him and Ash leaned in and stared at Eiji. Those magnificent, serious, and sorrowful eyes gleamed in the low light.

“Try not making so much noise,” Ash said lowly and calmly. Eiji stared right back, the concern apparent on his face. 

“I- Uh. Sorry. Is there a reason I have to stay in?” 

“Try to rest,” Ash said as he closed the door. The lock clicked again. And Eiji sighed. It wasn’t an answer to his question but he took that as a yes. So he went and tried laying down. Nothing felt comfortable. There was just too much plaguing his mind. He maybe managed an hour or two of sleep but after that he became too restless and resorted to pacing around the room.

When light peaked through the heavily draped curtains, Ash returned. He unlocked the door to find Eiji slumped against the opposite wall.

“I’m sorry I had to trap you in here,” Ash said. “I had to take extra precaution in the dark of night to keep you a secret.” Ash panned his vision around the room as Eiji leaned forward and steadied himself while he got up.

“It’d be at least nice to know what’s going on. You know, I don’t know anything about any of this.” 

“Oh?” Ash raised his eyebrows. “And here I thought you might’ve overheard the conversations we were having downstairs.” 

“I did,” Eiji replied simply. “I don’t know what it all means though,” he admitted as Ash showed him out of the bedroom. When Eiji stepped away he saw that it was the only bedroom on the top floor. The only other room was a bathroom which he needed. He glanced back at Ash who seemed to already know and gave a nod. 

Upon taking care of things and washing his face Eiji stared in the mirror. He looked pretty tired. That was a little embarrassing. That wired look wasn’t the most becoming for him. That and his black hair was in serious need of some grooming. And of course that other guy, Ash looked flawless even though he probably didn’t get much sleep either. Oh well.

When Eiji opened the door Ash turned to glance over his shoulder. He’d been waiting right outside the whole time? Geez, he really was dedicated to this whole protecting thing. He was very serious.

“So, am I allowed to know where we’re going and how we’re getting there?” He asked, trying to inquire directly enough it wouldn’t allow for a run-around.

“We’re leaving the city. When we get to the outskirts we’ll make sure we’re clear, see that the others made it out. Then we’ll travel to meet a friend of mine.” 

Eiji was surprised he got something clear cut. He nodded and thanked him before heading down the stairs, Ash close behind. 

“While we’re out, don’t use your cell. I’ll only respond to Ascal. You’ll only respond to Eyo. We can talk but it needs to be quiet.” 

Eiji just nodded compliantly. Ash handed him his bag, which Eiji secured over his shoulder. He flipped it open to check that he had what he needed, like his wallet and such. His gaze, however, met the sheen of a hand gun. He immediately withdrew his hand and gasped.

“Easy. It’s only to lull suspicion.” 

“What??” Eiji asked. How would a gun possibly ease anyone’s suspicion about anything?!

“If we get stopped and you have a gun on you, it will look less like you’re a magic user.” 

Eiji stared at him and then back at his bag, which he slowly closed. “I’m not though. Really… whatever all of you think. I don’t have an ounce of magic in my body.” 

Ash’s mouth twitched up into a snide, half-smile. He scoffed and then moved to grab his own jacket and backpack. Before he made another move he went to a closet near the front of the building. He withdrew a couple pairs of sneakers and asked Eiji for his size. Unsurprisingly he didn’t have the shorter man’s size so he insisted he use the next closest pair, which was just a pair of dark running sneakers in a fairly well kept condition. Eiji slipped them on and tied them tight. 

“There’s a lot of walking and we’ve got to go while the sun is still rising.” The blond lead the way out the door and past the car that Eiji had ridden in the evening before. A lot of the first hour was made up of twists and turns through the back alleyways of the city. Silence dominated at first but after a bit of casual small talk about the city, conversation felt easier. It was still limited by the circumstances and there was a lot Ash wouldn’t talk about. Eiji, of course, didn’t want to push anything so he simply moved on. 

“So this friend of yours-“

“It’s best not to talk of him. You’ll meet him soon.” 

“Do you do that thing you talked to me about?”

“Bold of you to ask such a _vague_ question.”

“I’m trying to be vague.” 

_Silence_.

“Hey when we get outside the uh, you know- will we still be moving on foot?”

“Are you complaining?”

“No- I just feel weird in thes-“

“Then yes. And even otherwise, the answer is yes. If they’re uncomfortable we can stop to stuff toilet paper in the toes to keep you from sliding.” 

“Ah, right. Well that’s ok. Let’s keep walking.” He thought to himself that if it was imperative to move quickly why they were doing so on foot. Maybe it was to avoid attracting attention?

Conversation like this, while frustrating, was at least mildly endearing with Ash. He’d barely known of this other young man for a few hours and all he’d done was spew crazy talk about magic and all that. Magic was banned. Everyone knew that. Not only was it banned- lower powered users of it were often banished to the Salt Mines and higher powered users were punished with death by private execution. Eiji didn’t think magic users were bad at all, though. It’s not like they chose to be magic users and it wasn’t in their nature to ignore that part of them. If this guy really was legit about this magic stuff that really did mean he wasn’t exaggerating. Things were going to be dangerous even if Eiji didn’t know how he tied in yet. 

When the pair came to a more remote part of the city and less people seemed to be around, Ash stopped him and said in almost a whisper,

“What do you think the Eye is?” 

“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about it-“ 

“You’ve been good, but we’re far enough away from most people where we can speak more freely. Lowly, of course.”

“Oh. Well, I’d have to say I think it sounds like a- er. Um. M- a - g - i - c object,” Eiji whispered as Ash started walking again.

“It is. You’re right. Do you know who it belongs to?” 

“No, I don’t.”

“It’s yours. Technically your mother’s.” 

“Mine-? But… How come I never heard of it, then?” 

“You were being protected,” Ash said solemnly. “Be grateful.”

“So what does this mean?”

“It means you’re fully capable of magic acts. In order to protect you, your power was sealed in a rock. We call it the Eye.”   
Eiji was quiet for a minute. He slowed his gate and stared at the ground. He didn’t know how to process this. It’d take him a bit but maybe talking more about it would help. Then he asked, 

“Can you tell me more? About… _magic_ I mean,” Eiji asked softly. Ash gave him a glance that softened his face for a minute. Eiji liked the soft look.

“I suppose I should begin to ease you into it. After all, it’ll be very important for you to know shortly,” Ash ruled as Eiji nodded, skipping a step to catch up with him. “It’s something that… despite what _they_ want you to think, magic users are still here.” 

Ash quieted as a couple approached and gave a friendly wave to Ash and Eiji. Eiji politely waved back and Ash just looked on. When they were far enough away Ash beckoned Eiji along and continued.

“And they usually fall into categories. Cosmic, Mental, Natural, Life, and Dark. Some non-magic people can use transmutation to perform Physical magic,” Ash said, slowing down as he spoke. Eiji watched him fascinated so he continued.

“Some magic types are more common than others. Some are stronger. It’s a mixed pot really. Most of us left use Cosmic, Mental, or Natural.” 

“So what does that mean? If you have… cosmic magic?” Eiji butted in.

“It means that you’re prone to one of the subtypes in that division. If someone practiced cosmic magic it means they could be prone to using certain aspects of it. Like astral projection, divination, speaking with deities, or screwing with time. Usually they’d only be good at one of those things though. If they’re powerful or practiced enough they might be able to achieve another.”

Eiji sighed and said, “I can see why the Cavendish thought magicians were a threat. That all sounds pretty intense.” Ash grunted in response and quieted again as they were passed by another person on the streets.

“We’re almost there,” Ash said as they rounded another corner. The buildings had become scarce and they were well into the afternoon. They walked on to a building that stood taller than the others. 

“Um… Ascal, what type of magic is sealed in that rock? Do you know what I have? Or why it’s so important?” Eiji asked as they approached. 

“That rock. The Eye holds Life magic,”he said. That sounded pleasant enough.

“What subcategories does that have?” Eiji asked, ever more curious.

“Life magic users are often botanists in their own right, or use zoomagic. Auralire is another one.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the ability to sense, read, or see the aura of living things. If you’re particularly powerful you’ll be able to easily distinguish other magic users. You can hone it until you can pinpoint where they are and asses their magical capabilities. The rarer and more powerful a gift, the bigger the aura trail.” Silence follows Ash’s explanation of the Auralire abilities. 

“It’s what Yut-Lung is prone to, isn’t it?” Eiji stared at Ash intently. They’d come to a full stop. Ash nodded with hesitation. Eiji pursued, “Why is he after other magic users?”

“He’s a tool of the government. The Cavendish’s very own magic traitor. It saves his skin but he’s a powerful weapon,” Ash sighed.

Eiji didn’t know what to do with the implication that a magic user could just weed out fellow magicians like that. He sat there and stared, now just past Ash at the ground. 

“What am I prone to?” Ash didn’t say anything in response. “Ash- er. Ascal, please tell me. I know you know. What kind of Life Magic is in the Eye? It's important, right? So what am I able to do?” 

“Necromancy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much happened aside from Ash and Eiji bonding this chapter but there's a lot of heavy information in this one! Next chapter get ready for some Stuff, because it won't be quite so light!


	3. Stand Up

“N-necromancy? Like- talking to people from the dead kind of… necromancy?” Eiji stared at Ash with wide eyes.

“Sort of. Traditionally speaking, it deals with a type of divination whether it be to talk to the dead or raise them up.” 

“I thought divination was Cosmic Magic, though,” Eiji said.

“For the most part it is. It’s Cosmic because it stemmed into other kinds of magic. Pyromancers… Necromancers. Any of them would have been Divinators at some point. We still use those names but magicians have evolved beyond that. Pyromancers can now move past just pyromancy and can summon and control flame. It's pyrokinesis. Otherwise Necromancers can raise command the dead. Practiced ones can restore them fully. At a price of their own personal energy,” Ash said.

Eiji shook his head, “I’m sorry but… I don’t think I can do any of that.” 

“Even if you don’t believe that, we need you to try.” Ash seemed distracted.

“We? Even if I can do that who is we and why do they need me?” 

“Magic users. The ones still here on the ground. I have a gang. The Wytches. We resist the ban and we’re going to expose the Cavendish for what they’re doing.” 

“What… exactly is that?” Eiji asked although he saw Ash staring behind him, narrowing his eyes.

“Enough for now-“ He pushed past Eiji, and nearly sprinted forward to a nearby building. He rounded the corner, cautiously. Eiji watched and rose an eyebrow as Ash huffed an exasperated yet relieved, “Skip-“ and pulled a child out of hiding. Eiji approached slowly but stopped with at least a yard of distance away.

“Ash- I-“ Welp, so much for codenames. 

“What are you doing here? You were supposed to be at the other post to give Max the bag,” Ash said, keeping his voice low. He was crouched to Skip’s height. Skip’s dark eyes darted over to Eiji. He looked nervous. 

“Max took the wrong bag. He insisted on the one he took and left-” The boy reached in his overall pocket and Eiji swore he saw Ash freeze even if just for a second. Skip handed the small, delicate looking baggy to Ash who took it and stashed it very quickly in his coat pocket. He looked like he was figuring things out inside his head. He looked at Eiji and nodded towards him to say,

“Go to that tall building. Skip lead him. I’ll be right behind you. We’ll proceed as planned but might as well take advantage of our… resources.”

Eiji didn’t know what that meant but he started walking. Skip hurried to be by his side and slightly take the lead. He looked up at Eiji, eyes full of energy and innocence. He seemed way too pure to be wandering around the streets like he was. Eiji didn’t ask. The two glanced back at Ash who was following with a constant distance between them. He was very alert.

“So you’re the Eyeless?” Skip asked.

“Uh, yes. I guess I am,” Eiji bowed his head a little. “And you’re Skip. You’re… so young to be out here running around.” 

“Yeah, Ash is helping me train so by the time I’m his age I’ll be a pro at pyrokinesis. Just like him!” Skip seemed very excited for this. His optimism was refreshing.

“Oh? So Ash is a pyromancer?” That’s what that explanation was about.

“Yup! He’s the best of them!” Skip carried on and pulled out a keycard he had stashed in another overall pocket and scanned it in, opening the door and heading in before Eiji. “His brother is strong too but he’s started focusing more on protection spells. We don’t know what changed, yanno?”

Eiji said simply, “I see.” He glanced over his shoulder as they entered the lobby of a relatively nice building to see Ash scanning himself in and sliding in through the heavy, opaque doors. He looked disgruntled at the reveal of his personal information by Skip.

“Max says you’re gonna help us take back the state-“ Skip said with a grin. Eiji nearly did a full stop and choked on his own saliva. He coughed and excused himself and quickly tried to collect himself.

“Sorry. Yes. I’m going to try,” he nodded, making eye contact. They came up to the receptionist who looked up at Eiji and Skip and then to the man behind them. She smiled and pressed a button. Leaning in to a tiny microphone she spoke.

“Griffin, you’ve got a visitor.” There was silence, then static. A voice came on the other line. It wasn’t the best quality but the response was clear.

“Thank you, let them through.”

The woman gave Eiji and Skip directions and waved Ash on. She might not’ve known what was going on but she went with whatever it was she thought with a smile.

At this point Ash went to the stairs as Skip and Eiji went to the elevator, which too way too long for comfort. Skip seemed to know where he was going, even without the directions though, so he trusted this little guy to get them where they needed to be. When they arrived at their destination floor and walked out of the stainless steel elevator, Eiji’s eyes were met with a relatively short corridor which seemed to break off into five or six rooms.

The room they went to was at the far end of the hall. It was much more secluded feeling than the others and placed right next to the exit stairs. It didn’t have windows like the other rooms and the space was cramped, which didn’t totally make sense with the structure of the building. Ash was already inside, conversing with a man that looked… a lot like him.

The man Eiji presumed was Griffin shared many features with Ash. His hair was a shade darker but still blond. His eyes were darker and stubble spotted his jawline. He definitely appeared older but not by too much. Closer in age to Max than Ash.

“Um… hello. I’m-“ 

“This is Eiji,” Ash introduced.

Griffin reached out a hand and Eiji took it to shake.The man offered a friendly but tired smile and said, “So you’re who needs protecting. It’s impressive you went so long without knowing your given nature.”

“Eh- yeah.” Eiji blushed, a touch embarrassed by his own lack of knowledge about himself. “Well, that’s going to change. Are you two… uh like related?”

“We are. Brothers. And- I’m just teasing you. Ash explained to me we need to place you under a protection spell. He brought something to me that belongs to you but being near is putting you at risk. All of us really. Unfortunately, it won’t protect you more than it will your aura. I guess it’d be better described as a concealing spell. I’ll have to go quickly, though. Casting spells is a red flag to patrols. It’s going to make you feel a little stiff, but that’ll ease as it wears down. You’ll have an hour or so to scram.” Eiji suddenly felt a little uncertain about the spell. Griffin had him place a hand on the desk and that felt a little ominous. 

Griffin had a hand behind Eiji to steady him and was about to place a hand on Eiji’s chest, over where his heart would be, but a loud bang echoed through the building. It all happened so quickly from there.

The intercom buzzed in. “Evacuate the building, hide, lay low. Griffin they’re here for you-“ Then it buzzed out and Ash quickly grabbed Griffin by the arm who looked back at Ash. 

“The closet. There’s a false back. Go- we don’t have time.” 

Skip grabbed onto Eiji’s leg and shoved him toward the closet as Ash busted into it. It was pitch black darkness. Griffin didn’t bother gathering anything but did cover his table with a sheet. He followed quickly after the group, shutting the closet and cutting off their light source. Ash maneuvered expertly through the dark, feeling and leading. 

“We need to get Eiji out and to safety-“ Ash demanded in a quiet but firm voice. He pulled some gloves out of one of his jacket pockets and yanked them on his hands. They seemed like leather, but well worn and definitely a bit crisp. He kept Eiji close behind him despite his warning about the stone earlier. Eiji assumed maybe it was because it already received a protection. 

Ash slipped down and pressed his ear to the wall where maybe another door was. They moved down some sets of stairs and Ash determined they were at a dead end. He pried it open when he heard the voices beyond it move down the hall. He peeked out and peered around a hook in the wall that might hinder whoever was outside from seeing the crack in the wall. He turned to Eiji and whispered. “Wait for them to be turned so they can’t see you but follow me.” 

Ash quickly and quietly slipped to the open door on the opposite side of the hallway and stepped in it, readying himself. He was poised to attack should someone use the exit stairs he went to. He peered back quickly and when the men were out of range he gave Eiji the signal to cross. And so Eiji crossed. His heart was pounding and adrenaline was high, but he managed to slip by unseen and go down a few of the dimly lit stairs. Skip was next. He started in a dash but a shout interrupted him and he froze and then almost back pedaled but looked lost on what to do as he panicked.

“Hey don’t move! I said- STOP-“ a muffled, authoritative voice rang. Seconds before shots rang out, Griffin, leaped out in the middle of the hallway to protect Skip. Several grotesque thwacks responded to the sound of open fire and Eiji barely had time to register before a choked up and desperate Ash, muttered something under his breath hypnotically and then lunged out. 

Flames erupted from his finger tips and filled the hallway with an intense heat and light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say- people who comment are the most blessed kind of people.


	4. Drag You Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoaa, I put the author's note at the beginning!! Mostly as a warning that this chapter does contain death and some... failed necromancy. This chapter may be sort of stressful but I can already promise Chapter 5 is much friendlier, as I hope most of the rest will be. 
> 
> As for all the kids who keep coming back I literally love you all for sticking by my unbeta'd, sleep deprived ass. You make the world go round.

As Ash pushed farther forward he kept the hall full of flames. It’d become like its own solid wall. Eiji was entranced. Forgetting the circumstances briefly, he was totally lost in the licks of fire dancing around Ash as he defended them. Despite the destructive nature, it was definitely beautiful and powerful. And was, he thought, majestically fitting for the man Ash was. It wasn’t until smoke filled the hallway and the buildings alarms sounded off that Eiji came to his senses and dodged out to grab at Griffin.

He wasn’t the strongest but what strength he had was enough to move even a big man like Griffin to the stairwell. Skip helped ease Griffin down the stairs to the midlevel platform between flights. The two propped him up against the wall. Eiji felt panic set in as he began to process what was happening.  
“Skip- Skip,we have to uhhh-“

“Apply pressure! Got it!” Skip was already moving to apply pressure to the wounds. Eiji did the same. There were several bullet entry holes in his upper back. Maybe five. But only two or so exit holes in his chest. It was hard to tell though. There was a lot of blood. Eiji pulled off his jacket and had Skip lean Griffin forward, pressing on the two holes with his jacket on the front. Skip went to work, ripping off his sleeves and trying to apply pressure to the entry holes.

“Oh god, oh god-“ Eiji whimpered. He maneuvered to one arm was putting pressure on both front wounds. He reached a hand around to comfort Griffin. He was shaking so badly and oddly enough Skip didn’t seem shaken at all. Or if he was, he wasn’t letting on. What kind of stuff did these people have to go through if he was able to remain steely willed even in the face of this? Skip was just a child. 

After what felt like a brief eternity, Eiji felt the pressure of Griffin being lifted off him. He was so distraught being involved in such violence he hadn’t even noticed Ash barring the door and rushing down the stairs. He didn’t even know how long he’d been there for. Ash scooted Eiji out of the way and quietly murmured for him to get around the back.

“Skip- heat all the doorknobs so no one comes in here-“ Ash said. He wasn’t angry or sobbing. His voice sounded something melancholy but it was also very monotone. He sounded tired. There was no more yelling coming from the hall. Any movement above was slowing. While the silence from above was unsettling to hear, the alarm was still blaring. A red light was flashing in the confined stairwell. Eiji hadn’t noticed it. And after a minute or two of Skip heating the doorknobs, his flame must’ve activated the sprinklers, allowing them to “put out” the fire. It just felt like a cold, smelly rain. There was no way the water was clean. Or at least it didn’t smell it. It was likely mineral rich.

“Ash, the water will make the blood-“ Eiji choked out, the water from the sprinkler blurring his vision almost as much as the tears prickling the edges of his deep brown eyes. He couldn’t see Ash’s face but the other turned just enough so his ash-stained hair wasn’t hiding the lower half of his face, which Eiji recognized as contorted into a pained grimace. 

“He’s gone, Eiji.” The pain in Ash’s voice made that sentence perhaps the most emotional he’d heard yet from the other. It killed him. Emotionally.

“Wait- no. He’s not!” Eiji suddenly stammered out. He looked around and saw it there, poking out of Ash’s jacket pocket. Before Ash could react, and since he couldn’t move to stop him while he was supporting his brother, Eiji took the stone and unwrapped it. It was slippery from the water so he started griping onto it with both hands, clasping it, really. 

“EIJI- NO!” 

An overwhelming wave of  _something_ hit Eiji. It started from his palms, which burned and whatever pressure or force that pooled over his body was enough to unsteady his already unstable stance and knock his head back. A bright light whiteness was all he saw and he was sure he’d been blinded by whatever power was in this stone. He couldn’t move and he couldn’t scream. It felt like he maybe didn’t even have a throat. Or lungs. Everything felt fuzzy and dry and the blasting alarm had faded. Did he have ears? He didn’t remember. For a second it felt like everything was still- on pause just for him. He felt nauseated by his own power. It wasn’t until Ash grabbed him and forced him against the back wall, and he hit the back of his head, that he came to. He let out a small grunt of pain at the collision of his head against the concrete wall.

The blond magic-user's hands were gripping both of his upper arms so hard, Eiji was sure to bruise. Eiji looked at Ash, who seemed almost reflective as his eyes readjusted. He was shouting. Eiji didn’t hear anything but he definitely was. Eiji felt ill. His stomach was twisted and he put a hand up to Ash’s chest.

Upon realizing Eiji was regaining motor functions, Ash stepped back and watched as the smaller rushed to the side of the staircase and retched over the railing. It wasn’t much since he likely hadn’t eaten or had much aside from a snack or two on the walk over.

“Eiji- you shouldn’t have done that,” Ash said as he watched Eiji stumble back over to Griffin. “Eiji, don’t- You can’t yet. You don’t know how. It won’t wo-“

“It WILL work. I’ve got to try, Ash,” Eiji replied. His voice was totally scratchy. He didn’t know what he was doing, but the newly minted magic-user pressed the stone up to Griffin’s chest, over his heart. For a second, nothing happened. Eiji felt barren so he pushed. And he pressed, really. As hard as he could. He put his focus into pushing whatever magic he had just received onto the body growing cold before them. The stone seemed to be able to channel it as it was still live with leftover energies. His eyes shut tightly and he grunted. Eiji didn’t know what was going on or what he was feeling but he focused until he felt a heartbeat pulse back at a him. It nearly knocked him off his crouch. A breath rose and fell from the chest he was pressing on and that was all it took to make him fall back- caught by Ash who eased him to a slump against the straight part of the railing. He felt… so dizzy. Light-headed. He was going in and out for sure.

“Griffin?” Ash’s voice came through. The breath that inhabited the older man’s chest was heavy and heaving. It wasn’t natural. It was ragged and grinding. Eiji couldn’t see much but he could tell that while Griffin was conscious now- something was really wrong. He could feel it. He had no pupils. His eyes were just white. He didn't have that aura-reading gift but he didn't need one to feel the presence- or lack there of- of Griffin. From where Eiji was sitting Griffin still felt just- dead, more prominently so, even. Eiji felt fear strike him briefly and then he felt himself going out again. 

The now soaking wet dark haired necromancer wheezed a soft, “I’m sorry.”

Skip, who had been lurking below after the events of what happened, peered up to see a groveling Eiji and an Ash who was frantically trying to get Griffin to do anything to respond but he was limp. Eiji felt a small hand on his shoulder as it rubbed softly.

“Ash! We gotta blast! They’re going to surround the buidling-“ was what Eiji could hear from the panicked novice witch. He was panting from running up and down the stairs and exerting his young power. Without missing a beat, Ash stood up and turned brusquely. He reached under Eiji’s arms and much to the smaller man’s discomfort, pulled him up. Eiji could hardly stand without Skip’s support on his back and side. 

“Ashhh,” Eiji huffed, woozily, “I’m sorry- I can try again- I can fix- make it better,” he started to babble again.

“No.” Ash was suddenly very intimidating and abrupt. His tone stabbed Eiji in the heart, but he silenced, realizing there really was nothing he could do.

Ash pulled him so he was propped up on his arms so he could be Eiji’s crutch. In the next moment he scooped him up with his free arm. He wasn’t heavy, per say, but it was a lot. A hearty bulk to maneuver safely on stairs surrounded by fire. 

Eiji felt himself slipping in and out again. He felt very disoriented. Skip guided them down the stairs safely and lead them to a back door underneath the stairs that let out to a currently unoccupied parking lot. They could all three hear the sirens and ground troops coming. Skip saw a car approaching, but Ash dashed behind a large plant before Skip could even shout. 

The car pulled directly before them. Eiji could tell that much through his half lidded eyes.

“Heard you jackasses needed a ride-!” The driver yelled out of an open window. He didn’t recognize the voice but he felt Ash’s chest heave in relief. The blond did his best to hurry to the car and stick Eiji in the back. Skip went straight for shotgun, but Ash gave him a look that caused him to freeze and go around to the back to help with Eiji. He arranged himself so Eiji’s head rested on his small legs. It wasn’t a very comfortably position. 

“You taking shotgun then?” 

Ash’s voice said, “I will. I have to do something first.”

“Well make it quick,” said the new male voice. Ash’s presence disappeared from the side of the car. When Eiji looked up, the driver peered back. He couldn’t see his eyes because of his shades, but Eiji did manage to take in one key feature. He muttered,

“Pur…ple.”

“Man, we’re totally fucked,” was the only response that followed. The last thing Eiji heard before losing total consciousness was an insane blast, from the direction of the building presumably from Ash. What had he done?


	5. Crawling Up Skin

“You’re telling me he tried… AND succeeded in bringing him back?” 

“No- not succeeded. Something was missing.”

“Well yeah, but he brought air back to his lungs and a pulse to his heart, right? Ballsy but not a bad start.” 

“He could’ve died-“

“You all could’ve died. That was really close! You’re lucky Sing was able to see it. I mean- what? Sure, he could’ve died but it’s not worth wasting your breath over now. He’s alive and we can still make use of him. You have other things to lament.” 

Eiji’s eyes cracked open just barely. The room was mostly dark but not familiar. He opened his mouth and his throat felt totally dry. He sucked in a rough gasp of air, which must’ve drawn the attention of the owners of the voices he heard vaguely.

“Eiji?” It was Ash. He felt whatever he was laying on dip a little and upon opening his eyes a little wider he realized Ash was leaning in close. Eiji sorrowfully closed his eyes and turned his head.

“I’m sorry I tried-“ His voice cracked. Speaking was hard. He felt like he’d just survived a drought.

“No- shh,” he was quickly shushed. “Shorter- water.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it,” the other voice trailed as it left the room. Ash faced Eiji again.

“That was stupid of you.” 

Eiji opened his eyes again and gave Ash a sideways glance before fully turning to face the pyrokinetic. He trained his brown doe eyes on Ash’s green ones.

“I know. I thought maybe I could fix it… We were only there because-“

“Because Max made a mistake and took the wrong bag.” 

“Have they gotten back to us? Did they make it ok?” Eiji’s voice was a harsh sounding whisper, but he had so many questions flooding into his groggy brain. Ash responded to Eiji with silence until he lifted a hand to touch the blond’s, prompting an answer.

“We haven’t yet- but that really doesn’t mean anything,” Ash said quickly, seeing that Eiji could have gotten worked up. “They probably made it out of the city before all of this went down.” Ash’s voice was very calm and reassuring.

“Is… Skip around?” Eiji asked, this time coughing. 

“He’s sleeping in another room. He’s a strong kid but… needs time to recover and I can’t allow him to remain at risk so I’ve made arrangements for him to stay out of the way.” What Eiji said next, might’ve caught Ash off his guard, but he couldn’t tell.

“And you?”

Ash didn’t have time for a response before a water bottle was launched past him and nailed Eiji in the stomach. The necromancer let out an “OOF-“ 

“Ooh- ouch. Sorry about that-“ a man said as he whipped inside and leaned against the wall and doorframe.

“That’s Shorter,” Ash said, _shortly._

“Shorter?” Eiji asked. “Your real name or… or a codename?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Shorter asked, smugly, but with a kind grin as he leaned far enough forward to be eye level with Eiji on the bed. “You can keep callin’ me Purple in public though, if you want. Even if it is kinda obvious. Maybe the blatancy of it will catch them off guard.”Eiji huffed at him. The raven-haired individual didn’t notice both because he wasn’t looking and Shorter’s shades blocked his sight of Shorter’s full face, but the mohawked guy’s eyes followed as Eiji tried picking up the water bottle to find both hands bandaged around the palm. Shorter watched as Eiji turned his hands around. 

“You really shouldn’t have grabbed the stone. You might’ve broken through Griffin’s protection on it but-“

“Protection?”

“Yeah, he cast it before you got there,” Shorter supplied. Eiji didn’t question how he knew because he could easily assume Ash had given him rundown. “And it did a big ol’ number on your hands.” Shorter snatched the water back from Eiji and cranked it open, spinning the cap a few times before flicking it off and handing the bottle back to Eiji.

Eiji took it with caution as to not spill it and leaned his head up. There was an at least somewhat uncomfortable silence while Eiji sipped- no, gulped- most of the water in one go. Shorter laughed to himself and lightly hit Ash in the shoulder with his fist before opening his mouth to say something.

“I swear on my life if you make a ‘thirsty boy’ joke, I will cook you like bacon,” Ash spat, effectively cutting him off. Shorter still cackled and Eiji gave the two a weird if not concerned look.

“You don’t have to both watch me drink water. That’s weird,” Eiji said as he let the bottle down and wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve.

“Just keeping the mood light. Ash is scary when he’s sad-“ Shorter said, which seemed to remind Eiji, who looked to Ash again.

“I asked earlier-“ 

“It’s not something I want to talk about. We don’t have time,” Ash said, almost coldly. Eiji felt a stab in his heart a little as Ash averted his eyes and got up. The tall blond stalked away. Shorter, who still lingered near the door when Ash brushed past, took the other magic-user’s spot on the bed.

“See? Told you he was scary,” he said lightly.

“He just lost his brother…” Eiji said, with some urgency.

“His _half_ -brother.”

“That’s still significant!” 

“I know, I know. I’m only teasing. We live in a depressing-ass era of time, so someone’s gotta, ya know.” 

“I guess so, but aren’t you worried you’re disrespecting him?” 

Shorter just shrugged and replied, “Nah. I know, Ash knows… I have mad respect for his brother but if we’re all doom and gloom nothing’s getting done. We might not be explicitly running out of time right this second, but something like that is better mourned when you have time to do so.”

“But bottling things up- are you saying it’s right to put off grieving?” Eiji stared at Shorter, who dipped his shades at him by tilting his head. Eiji quickly cleared his throat again and said, “Sorry… I don’t mean to overstep or anything. Thank you for saving us.”

“Hey now, don’t be so dismissive. I’m not gonna harp on you for giving me a light lecture. It’s stressful and all this is new, so I get it.”

“I’m not usually this… way.” 

“Right, well that’s good. But speaking of lectures… Don’t take this a weird way, but I’ve got some special stuff to teach you,” Shorter said. Eiji looked supremely weirded out.

“Uh… what?”  
“Magic?” Shorter’s smirk was full of mischief.“I’m gonna be your new teacher.”

“Oh!” Eiji said, nodding quickly. “Are you uh, a necromancer too? Or… er a Life Magic user?” The question was genuine. Shorter laughed despite that. “What?” 

“If I were a necromancer- picking who got out of that burning building between you and his brother would have gone a LOT differently.” Shorter said it in a joking manner but Eiji clearly didn’t think it was funny. “Not that your power is your only attribute, you’re also very attractive, but you’ve only just met Ash and weren’t even supposed to. I don’t know how that measures up to a blood-related role model. But I was just kidding.” Eiji could agree to this. He still didn’t find it funny.

“Is… Do you know what happened when he went back? That explosion…” Eiji was clearly distressed over the thought of it.

“Ah well. Griffin was technically alive but there was no way to get to him. Ash didn’t want him to suffer and-“ Shorter stopped. “He had to make sure Griffin didn’t fall into… the wrong hands. Probably wanted to end any suffering to since there’s really no way to tell when they’re like that.” Suddenly the much bigger magic-user was far more serious than he had been.

“What would they have done with him if he did, uh, fall into the wrong hands?” Eiji asked.

“Who knows? They have ways of extracting magic. Using the users for their own purposes. I’d put all my nonexistent cash on a mind reader getting ahold of him. It’d suck pretty bad if they were powerful enough to crack into Griffin’s brain past all the haze from his condition. Can you imagine? Ahh, they’d have known everything about us. Our places… Our faces… You.” 

Eiji shuttered but went to drink more water, clearing his throat again a little. 

“Well, now that I’ve effectively scared you. You’ll cooperate, won’t you?” 

“I didn’t think I’d have a choice,” Eiji said as solemnly as he could muster. Shorter sat in silence for a moment. “Besides, you clearly all need me!” Eiji said, trying to be funny. Shorter gave a goofy half smile again at Eiji’s attempt to be humorous.

“That’s the spirit, but don’t get too cocky.” The two shared a brief chuckle. “Oh, I’m a multi-magic user, just, since you asked.”

“A… what?” Eiji asked, leaning in and knitting his eyebrows together in confusion, his eyes narrowed. 

“I’m a person with magical properties but without a type or, rather, I’m not prone to anything specific. There are a few of us, actually! Like my second-in-command, which I may or may not have been partially biased in selecting.”

“Wow! I didn’t know you could be more than one. You’ve gotta be pretty strong, right?” Shorter laughed boisterously at this. 

“I’ll take it but don’t rely on flattery with me too much. I’m strong in a sense. In that I can do more than one thing across the board, a little of each. Unfortunately, though, I can’t work too much up the ranks in every type. I maybe could master one specific magic of my choosing if I’d stuck to one type, but now I’m mostly chained to the lower leveled spells. I picked quantity over quality.”

“So you’re like a jack-of-all-trades?” Eiji asked, to which Shorter nodded, seeming to like that title. 

“I’m starting to think I could see Ash saving you regardless of if the gang’s circumstanceswere different.” The two sat in a much more comfortable silence now. Both mens’ attention was directed quickly to the door as a commotion began in the front room. Following the commotion, some voices exchanged quick and anxious conversation. 

Ash appeared in the door frame without much hesitation after. His eyes were wild and a little panicked. “Eiji, can you walk?” 

Eiji looked down at his legs and swung them over the side of the low bed. Shorter took his hand and put another on his back to help ease him up. Eiji was able to stand and eventually take a step, although the man was shaky. He looked up to Ash and gave a firm nod.

“Why? What’s up, bro?” Shorter asked, letting Eiji go and allowing him to stand on his own. 

“Kong is here. He’s… well,” he looked out. Following his line of sight, Eiji and Shorter could both see a larger, broader man, but he was beaten bloody. Despite that he appeared to be standing strong. “They arrested Ibe and Max under suspicion of harboring magic-users. They captured Bones, who was with them and sent Kong with a message. They know where we are. They’ve latched on Eiji’s aura.” 

“Yikes,” Shorter said. “So what are we doing? Getting out of here, I hope.” 

“We are. Alex will be here to get Kong and Skip out of here. Eiji, you’re going with them.” 

“What?! No- I mean, why?” He asked.

“It’s too much of a risk for you to come with us. Not with how much aura you’ve got. Besides, it’d be a good distraction."

“I hate to say it, but we’re running out of places to go, aren’t we? They’ll wind up on the edge of the Orchard if we’re not careful.” 

“It doesn’t matter. If they have to press into the desert beyond it to escape, we have allies. And when they know who Eiji is, they’ll protect him.” 

“So you and I are going to save the dimwits?” Shorter asked.

“No. Not together anyway. You'll start with Eiji but when you're out of the city let them move on and you come back and be ready. I only want you to intervene if I _need_ it. It’s dangerous for us to be too close. Now get packing.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've concluded the best time for posting is early in the morning or very late at night so here it is~ Or purple boy!! ^u^


	6. Potions, Pills, Medicines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo I can't even tell you I was soooo excited for our beloved, Yeet in this chapter. And apologies for the delay.
> 
> But more importantly, I've gotten to the point in the story where I may try to write in some subtle romantic undertones. But this is for the readers to decide!! I'm open to anything and how it works so lemme know in the comments what kind of pairings you'd like to see! This goes for any characters. I plan on having Ash/Eiji, definitely, but I wouldn't mind throwing Shorter in there or even getting together another pair. It all just depends on how vocal people are! 
> 
> So tell me what you like!! Thanks <3!

The cells they were holding Max and Ibe in were small and very uncomfortable. There was little to no lighting and there was an empty cell in between each individual’s. Currently, only Max sat in the dark, damp, little room. Some undeniably pretty guy had just come by and lead Ibe out not even two hours prior to this nap Max had settled into. He was sure the low profile older man had been released.

That was- until he was brutally kicked back into his cell by some insignificant looking lackey. Max got up from the little wooden and chain-suspended bench he was sitting on and gripped the bars before him.

“HEY! Be careful, shithole!” Max growled defensively as Ibe face planted into the ground. 

“Max! Max- it’s fine,” Ibe sputtered, meekly. He glanced up at Max who’s eyes practically bugged out of his head.

“You’re bleeding- from your eyes. And- and your nose- your ears…” Max trailed, taking in that while blood came out of nearly every hole on his head, he was also covered in bruises. 

“That’s called Bloodcurdling for you. He’s very loyal. Wouldn’t speak easily. It’s a shame our mind reader is out of commission. We didn’t have a choice but to let the resident brute have at him,” a crisp, clear voice chimed through the door. “You know, the one who brought you here?” The pretty boy was back and he excused the grunt who manhandled Ibe back into the cell. “In the end, all it took was to show him the picture we had in his wallet and get a name.” He glanced emotionlessly over at Ibe. 

“That’s dark magic- Bloodcurdling. You people-“ Max scoffed. “You’re all hypocrites. You’re all embracing the most dangerous kind of negative energy our world has to offer and you’re using it to make sure there aren’t uprisings against your hypocrisy.” This made the long-haired man chuckle and cross his arms over his chest pensively. 

“What you’ve seemingly failed to understand is that we don’t _only_ use dark magic here. Any magic users who surrender themselves are given the choice. Face the execution the public needs to see, or join our peace-keeping efforts,” he said, with the most perfect effortless hair flip.

“ _Fuck_ you. You know it’s not that easy and you know that’s not what you’re doing.” 

“Oh god, then what are we doing? Please enlighten me.” 

“You’re- I…“ Max faltered.

“We’re the first reformed government to completely eradicate magic related crimes in the cities. On top of that- the only ones we’ve had trouble with were the protesters. And they’re so proud that they’re dying out or joining up if they know what’s good for them. _Quickly_.” 

“You’ll never be able to get all of them. You’ve failed time and time to get Ash- And even if you did- he’d never join you.” 

“He can’t run forever. And I’m sure we’ll lure him sooner or later. We do have one of his lieutenants in our custody. Bones, I believe? In any case, that doesn’t matter. When we do finally capture him- and _we_ _will-_ he’s going to be an invaluable addition to our little army.”

“You’re stupid if you think he’ll chose your side before he dies- Not that he’ll give you the chance to make him chose.”

“Bold assumption. It’s cute you think that we’d allow a power like that to go to waste. If they’re strong enough to be worth breaking it doesn’t matter if they prefer to die. Besides our… boss has other plans for him and his magic.” 

Max just glared at him.

“Are you done? Because I’m tired and I have a lush, luxurious, bed to nap in.” The long-haired man pulled his ponytail over his shoulder and threaded his fingers through it. He turned and got to the door when Max spoke up.

“Who are you?” A short laugh echoed back as the pretty man glanced over his shoulder.

“I normally wouldn’t risk it but I get a rush when my prisoners beg me for mercy. Your crimes against us won’t be pardoned. I’m Lee Yut-Lung.” With that he stepped out the door and bolted it behind himself. 

 

“You like begging? Gross,” a bulky blond haired man said in greeting to Yut-Lung. His hair was big and slicked back and the Lee boy hated it. Ugly.

“You say it like you don’t, Arthur,” he huffed condescendingly. He was rather annoyed at the others unsightly presence. 

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t,” he said. “I can’t deny it does really stroke my ego.” 

“Now who’s gross? Tch. If you’re going to be as cruel as you are to prisoners, you should really change your look. You look like a more fucked up version of a popular children’s doll,” Yut-Lung hissed, starting to walk down the hallway. 

“Where do you think you’re going? To nap?” Arthur snapped at him. 

“Ideally. It’s hard work threatening prisoners and I need to keep up appearances.” 

“Well it looks like you’ll have to do that some other time,” Arthur said as he stalked steadily after him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. Yut-Lung clenched his fists.

“What am I needed for?” 

“Your job, of course. What else? God, it’d be a real shame if we finally caught another Auralire. It’d suck for you, being so disposable.” 

“I already did my job. I found where they were grouped and sent forces there.” Yut-Lung kept walking, hair swishing behind him.

“Then you must have known they’d scattered too. You know, if your job was really well done.” 

“I knew that when we came back empty-handed. Didn’t need an extra ability to figure that one out. Don’t be dumb.” Yut-Lung quickened his pace a little only to be mirrored by the other figure.

“Where are they now?” Arthur asked firmly. Yut-Lung ignored him and kept walking. This worked splendidly until Arthur grabbed his wrist which stopped him cold.  
“Do it,” Arthur said. “Read them and tell me. Direct orders from the top. Don’t give me the pleasure of wrecking to your knees.” Yut-Lung jerked his wrist away and turned around.

“You sound disgusting, you creep. And I’ll have your hands for touching me and threatening to use your powers on me.” 

“So do that then. I fucking dare you,” Arthur breathed out heavily. “But tell me where they are first,” he said, maintaining that menacing tone.

“I’ll tell you, but what does it matter? I can’t read far outside the city and only Ash’s presence re-emerged. You know his aura is too big to lockdown.” 

“Wallet wasn’t the only thing that old man had on him.” Arthur took his hand out of his jacket pocket and reached into his jeans pocket. What he pulled out was a flip phone. 

Yut-Lung stared at it. “So what? You texted the alleged necromancer?? Told him to hurry on over for dinner? Please. He’s probably been trained better than that. If he’s with Ash he knows phones are a no-no.” 

“Oh really?” Arthur chuckled darkly. He unflipped it and held the phone out to Yut-Lung, who peered suspiciously at the screen. 

 

 

Me: Eiji- we have no time. Get here fast need to go.

Attachment- Coordinatesashhouse.img

Eyo: We heard you were captured. What’s your name?  
Me: Ibe Shunichi. Guardian. Come quick. 

Eyo: Don’t worry. 

 

Yut-Lung gawked at the messages and then back at Arthur who had an evil smirk on his face. Yut-Lung hated it. 

“Fine. It seems like we’re dealing with an untrained magic _baby_. But before I read-“

“No. No more waiting. Do it now.” Arthur was getting impatient. 

“Ah- I was just going to ask where you sent him.”

“I sent him to the first place he came to. Where you first detected a change in aura. Now-“

“I know. I know.” Yut-Lung closed his eyes and focused. Light lives lit up around the city. Beige. A normal color. Ash’s red aura encompassed most of the city but Yut-Lung directed it out of focus, looking for a navy aura. A navy aura bright and loud. Sure enough he found it, vaguely near the edge of the city but coming nearer. His dark eyes fluttered open and he sucked a breath in. 

“He’s on his way there now. You likely won’t need any man power to capture him so it’s up to you to not screw this up. Even if he was a powerful necromancer, all of our cemeteries are beyond the Orchard in the deserts. He won’t be able to defend himself,” Yut-Lung assured. “Must be a lot of pressure. So much riding on such an easy capture even for the likes of you,” the smaller man scorned.

“I sure hope it’s not. I want to show this clueless little wizard what experienced magic-using is capable of.”

“Well if it works, he will be our key bargaining chip for Ash. You can torture him after Ash has surrendered if you wish to inflict pain so much.”

“Sounds like a plan. He’ll be _begging_ for mercy for his gang’s saving grace.” Yut-Lung let out a disgruntled noise at Arthur’s own snarling voice.

“I’m going to take my nap now. Don’t bother me.” 


	7. To Drain You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, y'all! Depression's a bitch! But I'm ready with this new content- hopefully to lighten your spirits from the ending of the anime? 
> 
> How's everyone fairing??

“Yup! Just like that! See? You’re getting the hang of this, already!” Shorter may be a fun and sociable goofball, but he definitely made a grade A teacher. He’d decided to accompany them to the edge of the Orchard before he split so he could get Eiji started on teaching him. So far on their trip back to the outskirts, Eiji had been able to rise four dead plants, two beetles, and a mosquito Shorter swatted along the way. Shorter, of course, re-killed the mosquito. It was his own badass magic blood it was after, anyway. Despite the mosquitos short-lived reanimation, Eiji was _very_ proud of himself for doing so good. And he’d learned a thing or two about Shorter as well.

Like healing. Ash picked Shorter to teach Eiji because out of his multi-magic capabilities, he had proficiencies in Life Magic. Eiji still didn’t know what others Shorter had taken on but the purple-haired friend liked it better that way. The less Eiji knew about him, the better. But Eiji was really just thankful for the information he got. He was satisfied for now and would happily wait to see what else he could do in time. And Eiji really admired his skills in what he showed him, healing wise. Despite the damage Kong sustained in a fight with whatever magic-user he encountered, Shorter was able to fix it promptly. No more dark bruising or swelling. He looked great for a guy who’d just been spared only to send a message.

The first time Shorter directed Eiji to bring one of the plants back, he guided his hands with his own. Holding them and almost instructing the flow of magic through his touch. It wasn’t hard after that. Not with the plants anyway. But each new thing proved to be a unique challenge to him. Ash’s second in command, Alex was driving with Kong in shotgun. Skip opted to ride in the back of the truck they were in. He claimed it was to keep on lookout, but it seemed more like he was just trying to escape the confines of a seatbelt to Eiji. But that was fine. It left space for Shorter and Eiji to practice.

“Let’s try another plant. The best way to practice is by gaining experience,” Shorter assured, reaching to the floor and pulling out yet another potted plant.

“Why do you have so many dead plants?” Eiji asked, curiosity genuine.

“I am just… the worst plant dad,” Shorter admitted as if he were actually ashamed of his black thumb. 

“And that’s where the beetles came from?” 

“Yup! I’m pretty sure they just nibbled at my babies and I dunno how to deal with plants. I’m not a- a botany plant magic person.” 

“A botany plant magic person?” 

“Fuck if I know what they’re called,” Shorter grinned. Eiji laughed. Shorter definitely knew what they were called but it was jokes like these that made the atmosphere more comfortable. “Now enough questions. Bring this baby back from the dead.” Eiji turned and faced the plant his teacher had placed on the car seat before him. Eiji took its pot in his hands and felt around before sensing where the thickest and strongest roots were. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pushed his energy into the plant. It was a bigger stalk than the others and a heartier dead plant. But it slowly livened up. It’s leaves became plush and full in no time. 

“Little more-“ Shorter directed. Eiji pushed a little harder and Shorter grunted, satisfied with the work.

Eiji opened his eyes and smiled widely at the green and vibrant plant. “I did this!”  
“Sure did! Now- what you gotta know about humans and bigger animals… They aren’t so easy. You might not feel tired from working your magic at this, but the bigger the thing, the more exhausting it’ll be to save it,” Shorter warned. Eiji nodded and his smile faded as he looked off to the side at the refreshed plants.

“What uh… what went wrong with Griffin. Necromancers… They have to, ah- I don’t know how to describe this. To bring back a fresh corpse to be as they were in life, you need to catch the soul as it leaves, so to speak. That energy that gives that person their character. If you don’t force the “soul” back in the body, you’ll only reanimate the corpse.”

“I-“ Eiji stuttered. “I did that to Griffin. Reanimated him without his soul.” Shorter seemed solemn. 

“Hey-“ he said, knocking a fist into Eiji’s arm. “You’ll be able to do it. You’re pretty strong and you learned fast, ok? And experienced necromancers can do more than just raise back our recently departed friends. At your peak, you’ll be able to chase down the personalities- hunt and track the souls, and drag them back to cold corpses. Of course-! They have to be preserved. Otherwise-“ Shorter paused and shook his head, hair flopping in front of his brown eyes which were currently uncovered by his shades. Maybe that was to help Eiji feel comfortable or less intimidated. “Just- don’t do that, ok? Unless the goal is zombie army, don’t save the rotting ones.”

“Yeah, I won’t.” Eiji sat in quiet again. “Thank you,” he said, earnestly. “For teaching me all this. I- er, I don’t really know how I’d get good at this stuff without help.” 

Shorter definitely got a kick out of this, “Hey, no problem, man. Ash’ll be really proud of your progress. So am I,” he nodded in a friendly manner. 

Eiji practically beamed at the praise. He nodded very quickly as the car hit a rough bump. Everything was jolted and the sound of potted plants clanging and scraping together was anything but pleasant.

For the first time during the trip, Alex spoke up, “Ok. We’re at the outskirts. Shorter- if you’d please.” Shorter waved a hand and grabbed the shallow plastic carrying crate of plants from the floor, _planting_ them in his seat by Eiji. 

“Thank you for coming with us, Shorter. Really,” Eiji said. Shorter gave him a grin and tilted his head cockily. He gave a little weird salute and moved to leave. He heaved a sigh and half-turned his head.

“Now to go all the way back from whence I came,” and he’d start walking back into the city. 

* * *

 

 They’d driven what felt like hours before they even spotted the lights of a small township against the falling evening sky. After Shorter got out of the car, everything was mostly quiet. Alex and Kong made conversation every so often. Eiji just answered when he was asked things. As the time passed, Eiji managed to bring back each and every potted plant to a full and flourishing life.

One thing Eiji noticed that while they referred to whatever was beyond the outskirts as desert- it was more or less just deserted parts of civilizations. Towns, small cities, and dead residential areas made up where they wound through. 

“Magic users used to make up these parts,” Alex piped up when he caught Eiji zoning out away from his plants and out the window.

“Did they really?” Eiji asked, still lost in the landscapes as they carried on closer to their destination. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were born in the area, honestly.” That took Eiji aback. He pondered it a moment but his thoughts were short-lived and ultimately interrupted by shouting around their vehicle. They were pulling toward the occupied housing section. Eiji swore he noticed people outside, poised to attack. The car halted. Alex stepped out and greeted an even bulkier guy than any of the three of them.

“Cain- We’re here baring our necromancer. We need your protection over him. _They_ know.” This Cain guy, whoever he was (although Eiji assumed he was Ash’s contact and ally), didn’t seem to trust what Alex said. He paced over to the car and slapped a hand on the window Eiji sat at, causing him to jump. The man’s height and scowl was a little intimidating but Ash’s whole crew trusted him.

“He doesn’t get his protection until he proves himself. We need to know he’s worth our energy. Seems a little meek to me.” 

Kong gestured Eiji to roll down the window and so without much hesitation he did. 

“He’s been bringing plants back to life this whole ride, I’ll freaking swear.” 

“Unfortunately a necromancer who brings plants to life could just be a glorified Bota-nancy in disguise.” Silence followed Cain’s bold statement.

“Ok, then what can he do to prove it? He’s only just started practicing,” Alex said, stepping to Cain’s side.

“Max’s kid. Michael. After he got the Eye, he was supposed to bring medicine. He never arrived.” Cain’s words made Eiji’s blood run cold. That must’ve been why he grabbed the wrong bag. Max was in such a hurry to get back to his boy- Eiji’s heart sank and his gaze fell. He felt guilty and he chewed on his lip somewhat anxiously.

“He’ll fix ‘im.” Eiji immediately jolted up and stared at Kong in shock. 

“I-I don’t know if I can! You weren’t um, you weren’t there but Skip was- I _ruined_ Griffin,” he said urgently. 

“Then you better hurry up and put your plant practice to use. The farther his spirit is, the harder it’ll be,” Cain said coldly as Alex got back in the car. As Alex prepared to drive, Cain spoke again, “Don’t let Max come home to his dead son.” Eiji felt chilled by what sounded like it could’ve been a threat or some wayward motivation. Cain yelled something like a number to Alex. He didn’t catch what, but Alex seemed to. 

They pulled bumpily into a cracked driveway. Eiji jolted so hard his head hit the roof of the car. Almost as soon as they stopped, his door was yanked open and two men shuffled him out and escorted the necromancer to the door of a more than worn down townhouse. The upper story was caved in but the first floor seemed to be functioning perfectly well.

The men wasted no time in drawing him in through the garage door. Everything in the garage looked very settled, as if it wasn’t used frequently. Lots was broken. Overall, it didn’t seem very functional. Eiji was shoved forward and took note that Alex and Kong had gotten out and gone to the front door. Once inside the home he was led to a downstairs bedroom where a child laid very still on the bed. It really did look as if he were just sleeping.

Someone appeared behind him and gripped his shoulder. The grip was firm and prompted Eiji to shudder and turn around. 

“You’re the necromancer?” Her voice was stern despite her appearance. Her greyish blue eyes were a little red around the corners and she seemed like she was struggling to hold it together. Eiji opened his mouth to say something but closed it and nodded very seriously. “And you think you can bring my son back to me?” Eiji didn’t want to give her false hope. 

“I’ll do what I can,” and he gave a small nod. “I’m still new but-“ he’d pause and say, “I’m willing to try.” Eiji stared into her eyes. She looked away from him and heaved a great sigh, pulling her long blond hair back behind one ear. 

“Do it. Try. Please,” and she stood to the side. Eiji turned to look at the child and chewed his lip. He moved over to his undisturbed bed. As he drew near he could clearly see that while he still looked a little warm, the child wasn’t breathing. He stooped down to the bed’s level and faltered for a moment. In his head he saw Griffin’s soulless eyes after his revival. He physically flinched but refrained from recalling much more of that memory as he pressed one hand to the child’s chest and the other at his forehead. Shorter had taught him he had to be prepared to bring back the heart as well as the mind using his magic. That’s how he reached the spirit of who he was reviving. 

He sat and let the magic flow from his palms as he muttered in tongues a spell of strength. Shorter had told him a few to help him when he felt unable to handle the task. As Eiji sapped his own magic into the body, he felt himself grow lightheaded and weak. It was really hard. In his mind’s eye, everything was blank. It was white and nothingness. He looked deeper. Peered harder. A shadow began to materialize. Faded at first, it was hard to make out. It came closer the harder he concentrated and although he couldn’t see the action he reached out and grasped at it as soon as he was able to recognize the lost looking child as the one on the bed.

“Mi-chael,” he choked. That was the boy’s name. Even though he was very young, he looked just like Max somehow. The child’s image slowly turned and looked directly at him. The gaze was an intense scrutiny- like the child could see right through him as he felt he was pulling. Suddenly no air. Air was gone. He couldn’t breathe. 

Eiji felt his eye roll back and the collapse hit him harder than anything he felt. People ran to him but he was fading fast. His head was spinning. People were… standing over him. What were they saying?


	8. Bleed Your Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to you all?? I'll try to get another chapter out soon but I'm going to be doing a lot of art now that I'll be able to again.

“Don’t crowd him- he needs space, er- hey Alex can you hold his head?” Almost as if on cue, Eiji felt his head loll forward. Alex was just a little too late on that one. He soon felt the support though. He was being situated on… a sofa? He didn’t know and he didn’t care. He couldn’t find something to grasp onto. He fell into nothingness again.

It felt like seconds later that he opened his eyes to a room that was mostly dark but dimly lit by a lantern in the corner. His eyes scanned the room and he turned his head to face forward, immediately met with the silhouette of the woman from before. He began lifting his head. He could barely make out her features in the light as he was still adjusting but her face seemed soft. 

“Uh- Hey um,-“

“Jessica. That’s my name,” she said, voice as unwavering as before. “Take it easy.” 

“Where’s- what happened?” Eiji asked.

“Well you passed out for about an hour,” she said plainly. “Gave us all a bit of a scare. We thought you maybe weren’t breathing.” 

“Who’d be around to bring me back if I was gone, right?” Eiji laughed weakly. Jessica offered a half smile and tilted her head forward. There was silence. Eiji was impatient to learn what happened but he didn’t want to upset her if Michael was gone.

“You’re probably wondering what happened, yeah?” She asked. Eiji nodded slowly. She smiled and said, “Well, you brought my son back to me. He’s alive.” Eiji waited.

“But…?” 

“But? But you probably could’ve killed yourself. You’re stronger for it but you need to work on preserving your energy and breathing.” 

“No, I mean- that’s it? He’s- Is he back to… you know… normal?”

“I wouldn’t say normal. He’s still feeling ill but I’d bet you’re wondering if you were able to bring his soul back. You did. I’m guessing that you were only just barely able to but you did.” Eiji huffed a sigh of relief at the news. “What? You weren’t that surprised were you?” Jessica was staring at Eiji hard and his face must’ve said it all. She shook her head and raised her eyebrows quizzically. “Well, I guess we’re lucky then.” 

The two sat in a comfortable silence before Eiji asked, “So, you’re um, Max’s wife?” Jessica scoffed.

“He wishes we were still married.” Her answer seemed sarcastic. “No, we’re separated. My call to him for medicine was a last resort.” She shook her head and turned her face so the gentle lantern light outlined it in a scowl. “And he still didn’t get here.” Eiji was about to tell her it was becausehe was captured before he realized she probably knew that.

“So- uh, where is everyone?” 

“They’re off in another duplex somewhere. We’ll meet back tomorrow with Cain and the others. You needed the rest but you proved yourself. So don’t worry about that. And… I’m already loyal to Ash but now you have my loyalty as well. I don’t practice as much anymore for my son’s sake, but it’s always better to have two pyrokinetics behind you than one.” Jessica seemed pleased. “If you think you’ll be fine now though, I’ll be going to check on Michael and then going to bed. His fever’s down but he still felt achy last I checked.” She stood up. Eiji gave her a nod and waved.

“Goodnight then. Thank you for your support.” 

“And thank you for bringing back my son.” She started to leave to a hallway before turning and leaning back in.

“You’re able to check your phone here, by the way. I don’t know if you have anyone special to contact but it’s not traceable here and we have connectivity.” With that, she left.

Eiji didn’t know if he even still had his phone. Not after everything. He decided to check anyway.Sure enough, it was there. No messages though. He laid back and pulled up a knit blanket that was over him. He pulled up a his photos folder on the main screen of his flip phone and opened it. Not much was in there. Mostly just pictures from his and Ibe’s adventures. He sorted through them a little before deciding he still felt a little drained. The necromancer put his phone aside on the sofa’s arm and laid there. He let his mind wonder. To Ash. To Shorter…

_Dinglingdingg. Dinglingdingg._ Eiji, who hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep was now on his stomach, lifted his head out of the somewhat smushed cushion he’d acquired in the night and glared at his phone. He narrowed his eyes at it and then sloppily grabbed at it. 

_One unread message from: Ibe Dad_. He scrambled up so he was sitting on his knees and stared at the notification. He flipped it open and read it. 

“Eiji, have no time. Get here fast need to go,” he read out loud. He looked around and bit his lip. Ibe must’ve known Eiji would be safe because of Ash. Maybe Ibe was with Ash. Then again. Maybe it was a trap. He figured if they knew his real name- not Iz- that it was probably safe. He texted back and then looked at the coordinates on a blank looking piece of map. It took almost no time for Eiji to get the response he was looking for. Full name and guardian role confirmed. That was enough for Eiji. 

He got up and looked around. It was day time, yes, but it didn’t seem that many people were around. When he got to the window he saw Kong, who was putting a bag back in the car. Eiji hurried to the door and ran out. 

“Kong-! Where are you… Are you leaving?”

“Shh!” The reply was harsh and short. The other member gestured him forward and he followed. He was about to ask him what was going on when he got a reply. “I’ve been communicating with Bones. I have to go get him. Eiji, they’re gonna kill him. He got their message through to me and they don’t have a use for him now.” 

“Communicating… how? Isn’t he imprisoned.” 

“Telepathy. The both of us have it. It’s why they sent me.” That made a lot of sense. 

“Do you know where they’re holding him? Can you take me-“

“Whoa- no. I mean, yes. I do know where he is. He’s broadcasting it to me. I can’t take you though, you’re precious cargo.” 

“Wait- listen. I need to get to this place.” And he showed him his phone. 

“Yeah, I know it. It’s on the way. But why?” 

“It’s urgent and it’s safe but you’ll just have to trust me,” Eiji said. Kong looked apprehensive. “Please- I really need to get there.” He sighed. Kong really couldn’t resist those brown puppy dog eyes. 

“Fine. Get in. I’ll drop you off only after I know you’re ok.” Eiji grinned and thanked him. Since it was just the two of them, Eiji took shotgun from Kong’s bag and Kong got in the driver’s seat. As they were pulling out they saw Cain. He looked mad and came towards them quickly. 

“Go, go, go- We can’t let them stop us.” Kong slammed on the gas and swerved out of the driveway, backing up, and then powering forward. They kicked up a lot of dust but made it out of Cain’s reach quickly. Before long they were on their way and with the added urgency of Bones’ execution, they went at a much faster rate. 

Despite the rush, Kong made for a great conversationalist. He almost felt as nurturing as Shorter did even though Eiji could tell he was nervous. He drove fast but not recklessly and with great precision. The lack of flat road didn’t deter him at all. The plants and their clinging pottery would beg to differ, but Eiji thought it’d been smooth. Plus, they made it back into the city in no time. 

“I’ll drop you off on the corner of the block. You know how to get in, yea?” Kong asked. He’d gotten a mental update from Bones saying he was still alive so his stress was temporarily alleviated. 

“Yeah I know,” Eiji returned softly. They slowed to the curb and Eiji hopped out. He bowed his head toward Kong and said,

“Thank you so much. Please be safe,” and he shut the passenger door and waved him off. Then he turned. He studied the area a moment but was able to, of course, dig around in his memory for familiarity. Once he found a path, he took it, following an alleyway to a dip between larger buildings. Sure enough, there was the house. 

He nodded firmly to himself and began stepping forward. He’d get Ibe, and they’d run for cover. He hadn’t planned that far but it really didn’t matter. Because not even a minute or two after he made his way down the alley, his entire body seized in pain and began writhing on the floor. 

He felt another wave of pain as the taste of iron flicked his tongue and he spat blood out of his mouth. His vision became blurry. Red. It stung. Like tears but thicker. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt. And then just like that an additional blow to his head from behind knocked him unconscious. 

 

* * *

Since parting with the others after his brother’s death, things had been disturbingly peaceful for Ash. No patrols or police were on the grounds roaming. It was far too quiet and unfortunately for Ash, his mind was far too loud. Despite the unnerving amount of peace and ease sneaking about the city, the pyrokinetic just couldn’t focus. It wasn’t unusual for him to take the lives of those who threatened his own or that of his friends with his magic, and this had definitely been a mercy kill. But it was his own blood. Someone who would never be there for him again.

His chest ached a little but he really did try to ignore it. There were actual currently living beings that needed saving. Besides. He did what was best. He didn’t leave his brother where they could find him and delve into his brain with a mind reader. He took care of it. He protected his friends. He protected their future. He protected Eiji. 

Eiji. He didn’t know where the other was or what he was doing now, but the thought of him being without Ash’s own protection made him a little nervous. The kid wasn’t cut out for this world. Or… maybe he was. But he sure as hell didn’t deserve how this civilization would treat him. He didn’t deserve what could come next. 

Ash set one last blast piece outside of the building. Nothing destructive, just something that would smoke and smoke enough for effective cover should they need it to escape. All it took was a spark to make it smokey and then they’d be good to go. 

“Ash-!” Ash turned suddenly and lunged forward toward the voice, but completely fazed through the person it came from. 

“Shorter?!” He growled. “Why the _fuck_ are you astral projecting right now? I need you at your highest energy. 

“Hey, Ash-y boy! Nice to see you too- lookin’ healthy. Anyway I’ll get to the point. I _was_ just gonna sit and wait for you but uhhhh… Now I’ve decided I’m going in.” 

“No way- you aren’t stay were you are and don’t move. Nothing in our plans has changed.” 

“Yeah, right. Well I just thought I’d let you know- I’ve already mobilized. When I wake up I’ll be right outside where I need to be,” and his fuzzy image would look smug. 

“And where and why is that?” 

“Eiji came back in town for god knows what reason and-“ He paused very shortly. “They have him. I feel his aura here. Trapped.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some reviews of encouragement!! They motivate me so much!!


End file.
